Why did he pitch only four innings? The mystery of Jang Chan-hee's early exit: A near-disaster reversal loomed larger than the missed chance at a Korean Series win as the youngest starter in history [KS4 On-Site]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

On the verge of achieving a historic milestone, an incomprehensible pitcher change timing nearly cost Samsung the entire Korean Series (KS) victory that was within reach.

Samsung Lions' "rookie right-hander" Jang Chan-hee (19) was selected as a surprise starter for the 2026 Korean Series Game 4 against the KT Wiz, held on the 7th at Daegu Samsung Lions Park. A rookie's KS starting appearance marks the 25th instance in KBO history (the 18th individual) and the 12th (9th individual) for a high school graduate rookie. It was a landmark event that occurred for the first time in 19 years since Kim Kwang-hyun and Im Tae-hoon in 2007, and truly the first in 33 years in Samsung's franchise history since Park Chung-sik in 1993.

As of the 7th, Jang Chan-hee was 19 years, 1 month, and 2 days old. This placed him just one day behind Im Tae-hoon (19 years, 1 month, 1 day) from 2007 for the second-youngest KS starting appearance in history. It also presented a prime opportunity to break the record for the youngest high school graduate rookie to win a KS game (19 years, 2 months, 10 days), set by Kim Su-kyung of Hyundai in 1998, after a span of 28 years.

Jang Chan-hee's pitching on the mound that day was fearless. Starting with the support of a comfortable five-run lead, he strung together three consecutive strikeouts in both the second and third innings. In the top of the fourth inning, after one out, he allowed a walk to Hillyard and a hit to Kim Hyun-soo, facing a bases-loaded threat with runners on first and second. However, he calmly retired Kim Sang-woo and Heo Kyung-min with groundouts, ending the inning without allowing any runs.

Only one inning remained for him to meet the requirements for a winning pitcher. However, as soon as the top of the fifth inning began, Sato took the mound for Samsung in place of Jang Chan-hee.

Of course, there are grounds for consideration. There may have been a strict pitch count limit, or it could have been a game plan set before the match to relieve the rookie's burden by capping his outing at "four innings." It is also possible that there were internal circumstances not disclosed externally, such as hidden condition issues or physical discomfort.

However, in the end, this change proved to be the worst possible move. Sato, who took the mound, allowed a hit to leadoff batter Han Seung-taek and then issued consecutive walks to Ryu Hyun-in and Choi Won-jun, loading the bases with no outs before being removed without recording a single out. Bae Chan-seung, who rushed in as a relief pitcher, also lost his focus. After allowing one run on Jang Jin-hyuk's second-base grounder, he gave up consecutive walks to An Hyun-min and Hillyard, resulting in a bases-loaded walk (7-3). Following a full-count duel with Kim Hyun-soo, he allowed another bases-loaded walk, narrowing the score to 7-4 in an instant.

Eventually, Bae Chan-seung was also hurriedly removed from the mound, and it was only when third pitcher Lee Jae-hee took over in a one-out, bases-loaded reversal threat that the fire was contained. After striking out Kim Sang-woo on a swing-and-miss strikeout, Lee Jae-hee caught Heo Kyung-min for an out on a fly ball to second base, finally ending the fifth inning with three runs allowed after much difficulty.

The fifth inning, in which three bullpen pitchers were used and five walks were issued, resulted in three runs being surrendered. If it had not been for Lee Jae-hee, the outcome of the game itself could have been reversed in a terrifying moment. Fortunately, Lee Jae-hee pitched 2⅔ scoreless innings to effectively break the momentum. Subsequently, Kim Tae-hoon and Lee Seung-min each pitched one inning to maintain the lead well.

Although the game was fortunately won 10-5, regardless of any underlying reasons, it might have been better to let Jang Chan-hee, who had shown stability, pitch a bit longer and replace him only if signs of instability appeared, rather than enacting a farce of using three pitchers in the fifth inning and surrendering three runs after a walk party. It was a fifth inning where the bench's management nearly swallowed the entire game, going beyond the regret of missing out on the youngest winning pitcher title.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original